The Annual Reports for the Water
Quality Committee and the entire CLWA are available here.

Preface

Ecology: the study of plants
and animals at home in their natural environment (Gr. oikos, house).

Limnology: Limnology is the study of freshwater, the aquatic environment,
and its life, i.e. the study of the physical, chemical, biological, hydrological,
and meteorological aspects of fresh water bodies, especially lakes, ponds, rivers,
and streams, and freshwater ecosystems (Gr. limne, lake).

"If the object of science is to correlate and state the results of observation
in such a way as to produce mental economy, it can hardly be said that limnology
has developed very far as a science. It is certainly still true that much of our
knowledge regarding lakes is in that condition of detailed statement whose mastery
involves great mental exertion. Through this stage all sciences have passed and signs
are not lacking that limnology will soon reach the position now occupied by older
branches of biological sciences. To secure this result the student of lake life must
attempt to solve problems rather than merely to state data."

"Two classes of problems present themselves to the limnologist: the first, scientific,
the second practical. The first comprises the problems raised by the study of the
lake as a unit of environment. The second class concerns itself with the question
of the lake as a unit of economic production. The answer to the practical question
depends on the correct solution of the scientific problems."

"In attempting to solve these problems the limnologist finds himself constantly
hampered by the lack of knowledge through which he may interpret the results which
he reaches. The acquirement of this knowledge seems to me the first and most necessary
step toward bridging exactness and comprehensiveness into our views of lake biology.
We count the constituents of the plankton, but are not able to state the significance
of the results which we reach."

"A fourth class of questions comprises those raised by the relation of the littoral
area to the limnetic region of the lake." (*)

"This work was useful, chiefly in disclosing to us the problems of limnology.
These are now before us, in part at least, and the time has come when the student
of lakes must attempt to answer some of them."

(*) The littoral zone includes the nearshore water where sunlight penetrates
all the way to the bottom allowing macrophytes (plants) to grow. While it
includes the shallow waters, the littoral zone extends out from shore to the
bottom of the euphotic zone where it is too dark for macrophytes to grow.
The limnetic zone is the open water zone away from nearshore where light does
not generally penetrate all the way to the bottom. The benthic zone includes
the sediment at the bottom of a lake. -- Crystal Lake "Walkabout" Interpretive
Manual, May 26, 2004, page 7.

Acknowledgment is given for excerpts and paraphrasing from the excellent webbook:
"Understanding Lake Ecology - an Online Limnology Primer," Water on the
Web, Natural Resources Res. Inst., Univ. Minn. Duluth, 2002. wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow/understand.html

Water
Quality Monitoring and Environmental Sciences

Environmental parameters describe
the existing and historical conditions within the Watershed. Distinctions can be
made between levels of substances that occur naturally or are artificially introduced
into the water, land, and air of the Watershed. It is important to follow scientifically
acceptable procedures for sample collection and analysis for quality assurance and
quality control purposes. Baseline conditions and levels and changes are documented
and then assessed to determine effects (positive, negative, or none) that may be
produced due to population influx, changing land uses, and other developments. Decisions
are then considered in watershed management for purposes of both prevention and remediation.
Monitoring programs derive their utility and validity from the length of the data
series in time, the consistency and intercomparability of the measurements, and the
reliability of their data. Available resources are appropriated wisely to select
the most meaningful sites, times, and parameters for monitoring and assessment.

What is the cause, or what are the causes, of the improvements? Is it natural variability,
the result of human activity, or the result of some natural process? We certainly
see the natural variability in the temperature signal and that is why we monitor
every year. We need to sample enough to know the natural variability and to separate
it from trends and changes. Possibly, the effect could be due to a decrease in nutrient
input to the lake.

Although the CLWA and others have been taking nutrient samples for many years,
there is limited knowledge about the nutrient budget  the movement of phosphorus
and nitrogen nutrients in and out of the Lake. Can it be caused by the biology of
the Lake? Is it due to Zebra mussels eating the plankton in the upper layer of the
Lake and precluding their sinking to the bottom? The same can be said of the sediment
flux  the movement of sediment and soil in surface runoff into the Lake. Is it due
to natural events? Is it caused by increased development of critical slopes around
the Lake? If so, is the changes short-term or-long term? To answer these questions
we will continue monitoring.

A
Brief Explanation of Eutrophication of Lakes and Ponds

Eutrophication is the addition
of nutrient material (generally from man-made sources) to lakes and ponds. This addition
causes sharp increases in photosynthetic organisms, including algae, and a lowering
of the oxygen levels as anaerobic organisms degrade the dead algae. This can drastically
change the lake's or pond's ecosystem. It may even include the death of large numbers
of fish, especially those that need high oxygen levels such as trout.

Scenario:

Excessive nutrients in water runoff
fertilize aquatic plants

Dying plants reduce dissolved
oxygen levels

Low dissolved oxygen endangers
other aqautic life

Weeds and small fish discourage
riparians

Sources:

Septic Tank Discharges

Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent

Fertilizer Runoff

Airborne Deposition

Plant and Animal Debris

Controls:

Limiting inputs from natural runoff
and sediments

Eliminating direct discharges

Physical, chemical, and biological
treatment

Insuring septic tank standards
compliance  Ordinances

Restrictive land use  Zoning
policies

The CLWF and its predecessor,
the Crystal Lake Clean Water Committee, have been conducting comprehensive
monitoring of the Watershed for several years to reconfirm baseline conditions and
future trends in water quality parameters. Samples have been collected in the deepwaters,
the nearshore regions, the tributaries, and the outlet. Chemical analyses have included:
nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus species); pH, conductivity, temperature, dissolved
oxygen, oxidation/reduction potential, and turbidity; and other individual chemical
elements. This monitoring program builds upon previous major studies. It is currently
active and ongoing.

CLWA Water Quality Committee

The Water Quality Committee of
the CLWA conducts monitoring activities within the deepwater, nearshore, and
tributary waters of the Crystal Lake Watershed. This committee is responsible for
the operation and oversight of the monitoring as well as the analysis and reporting
of the data and results. It is comprised of Stacy Daniels, Wally Edwards, Elizabeth
Hill, Paul Murphy, Jim Laarman, Scribner Sheafor, and Tom Osborn (Chair).

Based on over 130 vertical profiles
collected by various research groups over the past ten years, the DO in the deepwater
column in the central basin of Crystal Lake has remained high at near or above saturation
levels. Slight transient depressions in DO at the water/sediment interface do occur
as fall detritus settles to the bottom, but are soon dissipated.

The CLWA and its predecessor
organizations, the CLWF and the CLA, together with other cooperating organizations,
has conducted various environmental studies, which are listed in chronological order
(*) within The Chronology of The Crystal Lake Watershed.

The complete chronology contains over 260 entries describing studies, events, and
historical dates from the geological past to the present day.

The CLWA, and its predecessor
organizations, together with other collaborating organizations (*) have identified
a number of environmentally and geographically significant sites for environmental
monitoring. These sites are located throughout the Crystal Lake Watershed in the
deepwater, nearshore, and tributary regions. A cumulative list of over one hundred
sites has been compiled with descriptions, cross-indices, and latitude-longitude
coordinates (GPS).

CLWA Coordination with Other Groups

The CLWA and its predecessors
have conducted independent studies and supported cooperative programs of monitoring,
education involving academic institutions, environmental organizations, governmental
agencies, and commercial laboratories: (links
to some of these organizations are available on our Links page)

The Cooperative Lakes Monitoring
Program (CLMP) has been an important component of Michigan's inland lakes
monitoring program for over 35 years. Its primary purpose is to help citizen volunteers
monitor indicators of water quality in lakes and streams in Michigan. Its goals are
fourfold:

Provide baseline information and
document trends in water quality for individual lakes.

Build constituencies for sound
lake management and public support for lake quality protection.

Provide a cost-effective process
for MDEQ to accumulate baseline data for lakes state-wide.

Since 1992, the Michigan Lake and
Stream Associations (ML&SA) has administered the CLMP jointly with
the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) under a Memorandum
of Understanding. The ML&SA continues to administer the CLMP under
the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps). The CLWA has participated
in the CLMP since its inception in 1974.

Comparisons of Water Quality
Parameters for
All Lakes with Crystal Lake for 2011 (1)

Chemical monitoring includes measurement
of conventional parameters, such as dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, conductivity, and
oxidation-reduction potential, that influence the health of all aquatic life; and
individual chemical elements, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, that are nutrient
sources for plankton and aquatic plants, and other parameters, such as hardness,
alkalinity, iron, sulfide, etc., that affect the quality of drinking water.

Annual Water Quality Studies

Water quality parameters have been
monitored on an annual basis by the CLWA in cooperation with Water Quality
Investigators.

Total soluble phosphorus is one
of the nutrients for plant growth in a lake. Values less than 10 micrograms per liter
(10 ug/L) are found in extremely oligotrophic (low in nutrients and plant life and
rich in oxygen) lakes. The average total soluble phosphorus concentration over the
past ten years in Crystal Lake is 5.56 ug/L (based on several sources).

The CLWF partnered with the Interlochen
Arts Academy in conducting water quality monitoring of the Crystal Lake Watershed.

Sediment Analysis of Crystal Lake

Researchers in the Department of
Geological Sciences at Michigan State University have been studying the distribution
of multiple chemical elements in selected inland lakes of Michigan including Crystal
Lake in Benzie County. Samples of sediment from the Lake bottom can be dated back
to the time of the "Tragedy" of Crystal Lake. Results were presented at the 2003 CLWF
Annual Meeting.

(Click on image for a larger
view.)

Sediment Core from Crystal Lake
(2001).

This sediment core was collected
as part of an extensive study of inland Lake Sediment Trends by the Department of
logical Sciences, Michigan State University.

Biomonitoring includes assessment
of various living species (plants and animals), their environmental habitats, and
how they interact with one another. Indicator organisms range from zooplankton and
phytoplankton (microscopic animals and plants) living with the waters of Crystal
Lake and its tributaries, to benthic macroinvertebrates (bottom dwelling insects
and others with no backbones) living within the sediments of the Lake and tributaries,
to aquatic macrophytes (sumersed and floating plants), to fish and ducks. Species
include those native to the Crystal Lake Watershed, and those that are not native
(invasive species).

Benthic Invertebrates

The CLWF completed a two-year study
of the benthic macroinvertebrates of the Cold Creek Watershed in 2003. The study,
partially funded by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, concluded that
although Cold Creek is the largest tributary to Crystal Lake, its biological diversity
and productivity are limited because of its small size as a feeder stream compared
to larger wadeable streams like the Platte River and the Betsie River. Associated
monitoring of chemical parameters show that the water entering Crystal Lake from
Cold Creek is still of excellent quality. The complete 40-page report and 100 pages
of appendices (March 2004 publication) are cited below.

Some occasional reeds and other
rooted plants are found along the shoreline of Crystal Lake. The exceptional water
clarity of Crystal Lake allows light to penetrate more deeply than in other lakes.
Most of the aquatic plants (weeds) are found in the deep waters (>10 feet) of
Crystal Lake. Aquest, Inc. was contracted by the CLWF in 1996 to survey the submersed
flora in Crystal Lake.

Submersed Flora
of Crystal Lake

Aquatic macrophytes (plants) are
natural and essential parts of a lake. They hold shoreline sediments, reduce erosion,
and stabilize the lake bottom. They also provide habitat for fish and forage for
waterfowl. Such plants can potentially increase in coverage area and in density if
excessive nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen,enter a lake through tributary
flows, stormwater runoff from the surrounding land, and atmospheric deposition.

Aquatic plants are rarely a problem in oligotrophic lakes such as Crystal Lake. Some
occasional reeds and other rooted plants are found along the shoreline of Crystal
Lake. The exceptional water clarity of Crystal Lake allows light to penetrate more
deeply than in other lakes. Consequently, most of the aquatic plants are found in
the deeper waters (10-40 feet) of Crystal Lake.

Aquatic plants may be present in several forms: (bulleted list)

Emergent plants: rooted to bottom
with stems or leaves that rise well above the water surface.

Floating-leafed plants: roots
on the bottom and leaves that rest on, or slightly above, the surface.

Submergent plants: all or most
leaves and stems below water; rooted to the bottom or free-floating.

Free-floating plants: found on
the lake surface, with root systems not connected to the bottom.

In the summer of 2008, the CLWA
sampled, identified, and mapped aquatic plant species for comparison with previous
studies.

(*) This study was conducted by 2008 Summer Interns, Emily Baker and Molly Walton,
with assistance by CLWA Board Members and with oversight by Dr. Jo. Latimore of MSU,
as part of the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) of the Michigan Lake &
Stream Associations (ML&SA).

Nonindigenous Species

How we humans coexist with other living species includes nonindigenous or exotic
species (not from here) and invasive (taking over) species. Within the Crystal Lake
Watershed, they impact the wetlands, the nearshore waters and deepwaters of Crystal
Lake, and the forests of the surrounding high ridges. See: Nonindigenous Species (PDF document, 73 kB. See here for details.)

Physical monitoring includes measurement
of temperature and water clarity, and determination of the water level of Crystal
Lake.

Water Clarity

Water clarity is measured by observing
the disappearance of a Secchi disk, a circular disk with alternate black-and-white
quadrants, that is lowered into the depths of a lake. A deeper depth is indicative
of greater water clarity. The CLWF and predecessor organizations have monitored the
clarity of Crystal Lake for more than 45 years. During this period, the clarity of
Crystal Lake has remained exceptional compared to other Michigan lakes and has even
improved. The average of 348 Secchi disk readings from 1969 to 2004 is 21 feet (~7
meters) with an 18% improvement over that 45-year period.

The level of Crystal Lake is controlled
by the Outlet Dam, on the SW shore west of Railroad Point.

The level was set at 600.48 feet until 1980, when it was replaced by a two-tiered
level. The summer level is now set at 600.25 feet (May 1 - Oct. 31); the winter level
is set at 599.75 feet (Nov. 1 - Apr. 30).

This compromise allows higher water for recreation in the summer, and lower water
to limit shoreline erosion in the winter.

A series of five "stop-logs" act as a series of gates with one or more
put in to raise the level, or taken out to lower the level.

The actual lake levels over the
past year (2011) are shown on the accompanying graph. The annual seasonal pattern
is shown by the fitted curve and compared with the two biannual legal levels.

(Click on image for a larger
view.)

Note 4. The fitted curve
is an approximation of the actual levels.

Higher levels are experienced early in the year when precipitation exceeds evaporation
(snowmelt and spring rains).Lower levels are experienced later in the year when evaporation
exceeds precipitation (warmer air and water temperatures).

Comparison of Crystal Lake
Level (Overlapping yearly patterns)

The level of Crystal Lake varies
somewhat from year to year. This is the result of several factors.Increased (or decreased) snowmelt and/or rains can
contribute to higher (lower) levels.

Less ice cover in the Winter and warmer temperatures in the Summer mean more evaporation.

The discharge at the Outlet Dam is sometimes a raging torrent. At other times it
is high-and-dry with no discharge.

2007 (An unusually "dry" year) -The level of Crystal Lake was at its lowest
level in 37 years! Rainfall was less than one half of an average year.

2008 (A "wet" year) - The level of Crystal Lake returned to its normal
pattern with several intense rains.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

The level of Crystal Lake also
has been monitored using an automatic level gage to record events such as sudden
intense rainstorms.

Crystal Lake Water Levels (Chronological
Record)

The Lake level since 1970 has shown
smaller but repeating cycles of yearly rise and fall.

These cycles have averaged about (+/-) 0.5 feet for most years.

The Lake starts full-and-overflowing above the set level due to snowmelt and spring
rains. Management of the Outlet Dam requires storing water in the Spring to compensate
for evaporation loss during the Summer.

In most of the years since 1970, the spring level has started above the set level
(+) of 600.25 feet.

In most of the years since 1970, the late fall level has dropped below the set level
(-) of 599.75 feet but recovered by spring.

Water accumulation
and silt-laden discharge direct into Crystal Lake on the north
shore along the reconstructed portion of M-22. (The new MDOT ditch-and-culvert
system was unable to handle this event.)

What If Crystal Lake Was Higher/Lower?

Crystal Lake was once much higher
than it is now. Prior to 1873, the shoreline lapped against the bluffs in many places.
The wide sandy beach where many cottages and the roads around the Lake now exist
was underwater. Round Lake was a bay of Crystal Lake. Portions of the Village of
Beulah would have been submerged. In geologic times, Crystal Lake was a bay open
to Lake Michigan

After the famous
"Tragedy" of Crystal Lake,
the level of the Lake was lowered signficiantly. This event makes Crystal Lake very
unique. After several decades of fluctuating water levels, a control dam was installed
on Outlet Creek. The current level of Crystal Lake is maintained at 600 feet (Great
Lakes datum) with a three-inch rise in the summer and a three-inch fall in the winter.